#193 - "The College Roommate"

Erick sits on a bench outside his apartment building. He
watches as a sleek black convertible blasting Keisha Cole with the top down
pulls up in front. Erick shakes his head and smiles. The car eases its way into
a spot just north of the building’s main entrance. The top comes down and
locks. The door opens and the driver gets out to greet Erick.

“Bighead!” the driver yells.

“Knucklehead!” Erick yells back.

Erick runs up to Everett, his roommate from college, and
lifts him up in a bear hug.

“Look at you!” Everett
exclaims when Erick finally puts him down. “You’re so brave to wear such a form-fitting
t-shirt!”

“Look at you!” Erick replies. “Wearing shorts to show off
those chicken legs!”

Both Erick and Everett lose their smiles and stare each
other down.

“I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed you until I saw you
pull up,” Erick says through a stone face.

Everett
laughs and gives Erick another hug. “I can’t believe it’s been six years since
I’ve seen you.”

“Don’t you ever stay away from me that long.”

Everett
opens up the trunk to his rental car. “Those six years were your fault.”

“How do you figure?”

Everett
takes a small suitcase out of the trunk. “I made the last visit when you were
living in New York.”

“That doesn’t count. You were there for a conference.”

“Who travelled?”

“Who paid?”

“Who travelled?”

“What was the purpose of your trip?”

“When was the last time you were in Charlotte to visit me?”

“When was the last time you were in LA to visit ME?”

“I would have visited you here sooner except this was the
longest time you’ve been here since I last saw you.”

Erick narrows his eyes and glares at Everett for a moment. “That’s a good point.”

Everett
laughs. “I had to go there. But in actuality, there are times I wished I had
lived here, there and the North Pole – even if I didn’t know what I was doing
as I was doing it.”

Erick tilts his head as he processes Everett’s questionable comment. “Do you need
help with your bag?” he asks with tinge of curtness.

Everett
pulls up the handle. “Nope. I’m good. This thing has wheels.”

“Are you ready to meet Chris?”

“Is Chris ready to meet me?”

Erick starts to walk toward the entrance to his building. “A
better question would be if I am ready for the two of you to meet each other.”

*********************************

Erick cracks open the door to his apartment. “Chris, are you
decent?”

“I’m clothed, but that’s about it,” Chris responds from the
couch.

“Are you ready to meet Everett?”

“Is Everett
ready to meet me?”

“One second thought, I’m not ready for either one of you to
meet each other after all,” Erick says, trying to close the door.

Everett
pushes past Erick and walks into the apartment. “Ain’t nobody got time for
this!”

Chris laughs and gets up from the couch to greet Everett. “I gather you saw
that video, too?” Chris asks.

“I’m the one who sent it to the Bighead,” Everett answers as he and Chris shake hands.
“It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Everett
looks back at Erick and then at Chris. “And what have you heard?”

Erick directs Everett
into the bathroom. “You must be starving. Why don’t you freshen up so we can go
out to an early dinner?” Erick suggests. “It’s Chris’s treat.”

********************************

“So what was Erick like in college?” Chris asks Everett over dinner.
Erick hides his face in his hands.

“He was sooo deep back then,” Everett begins. “We both sang in the gospel
choir, but he was Mr. Holy Holy Holy. Didn’t drink. Didn’t curse. Didn’t talk
about nobody. And tried very hard to fight his gay disease.”

“And he fought it hard…” Everett continues. “…prayer, counseling,
denial, repression and fiddling around with one of our roommate’s boyfriends.”

Erick twists his mouth, having tried to explain this many
times over the years to many people who heard one of the many versions of this
story. “I didn’t know they were still seeing each other – and he started it,”
Erick states in defense.

Chris takes a swig of wine to avoid chuckling but his
shoulders give him away. Erick shoots Chris another displeased look, which Chris
averts in favor of watching Everett
dissolve into quiet laughter.

“And he even tried to take up a girlfriend,” Everett adds. “I’m sure
you know about her.”

“I do,” Chris replies. “Her name was Lori, right?”

Erick looks back and forth between Chris and Everett. “Lena.”

Everett
backs away from the table, doubling over in silent laughter.

“Are you okay, Everett?”
Erick asks.

Everett
composes himself. “Chris, I have to tell you about Lena.
She and Erick were perfect together – as it were. She was just as deep as he
was. She didn’t allow him to kiss her because she didn’t want them to be
tempted to, and I quote, commit sins of the flesh with each other.”

“Really?” Chris asks in disbelief.

“Yes, and it worked!” Everett
exclaims. “He just started committing them with guys instead!”

Chris and Everett burst out in laughter again. Erick takes
notice of a few customers looking over at their table.

Erick stands up. “I think we’d better go,” he says.

Everett
pulls Erick back down in his chair. “I will give him this, though,” he adds
cheekily during a momentary break in the laughter. “He was very fervent about
it all.”

Chris and Everett then laugh even harder. Erick looks away in
annoyance, but a faint smile creeps across his face.

*********************************

“Did you really need to bring up the lip-synch contest?”
Erick asks as he and Everett walk into his apartment. Chris had dropped them
off, opting to stay at his own apartment so that Erick and Everett could have
some time alone to catch up.

Everett
takes off his shoes, walks over to the couch and collapses on it. “Yes. Because
I’ve always found it funny that the first time you participated, you performed
‘Long As I Got King Jesus’. But two years later it was ‘You Light Up My Life’.
I’ve always considered that your unofficial coming out.”

Erick sits down next to Everett. “I don’t think I ever had an
official coming out.”

“Dude, your life was your coming out.”

“Despite that comment, I’m glad you’re here.”

“I am too. I like Chris.”

“I could tell by the way you two kibitzed with each other
like Mary and Rose on the stoop of 227.”

“Let’s give it up for 227,”
Everett jokes
with his two pointer fingers raised in the air toward heaven.

Erick does the same and the two of them laugh.

“It’s like no time as passed,” Erick says. “Despite all the
changes in our lives and in ourselves, you’re still a knucklehead.”

“And you’re still a bighead.”

“So what do you want to do tomorrow?”

“I want to take you shopping. What happened to your
wardrobe?”

“Well, I gave away bunch of clothes four months ago because I
couldn’t wear anymore. Then I started losing weight.”

“I wasn’t talking about that,” Everett says, putting his arm around Erick’s
shoulders. “I’m glad you’re no longer wearing those silly fisherman hats, but
your fashion sense hasn’t improved with age as much as you have.”